~ Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

Agile Software Development: China Navy

The best demonstration of agile software development is probably the modernization of China Navy. Following a “Run Swiftly in Small Steps” strategy, China Navy has undergone a stunning modernization push that puts it near parity with the US. Look below how China Navy has steadily improved each class of their destroyers in gradually shorter and shorter time. They are the grand master of agile development.

Type 051 Destroyer (109, commissioned in 1982. The first ship of class 105 was commissioned in 1971.)

Type 051C destroyer (116, commissioned in 2007. The first ship of class 115 was commissioned in 2006, 7 years after Type 051B.)

Type 052C Destroyer, the first warship in China Nave to have true long-range fleet air defense capability. (171, commissioned in 2005. The first ship of class 170 was also commissioned in 2005. Only one year after Type 052B. )

Type 052D Destroyer (172, commissioned in 2014. After the long development of a variety of small batches of previous models, 052D reaches to the maturity and mass production. 13 destroyers of same class have been built or under construction.)

Type 055 Destroyer (Fitted out in Jun 2017. 4 are under construction, expected to play an instrumental role in China’s future carrier strike formations)